Despite the growth in Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment across the last decade, post-acute and MA leaders have faced little urgency to partner. Unlike hospitals that have clear reasons to develop a post-acute strategy in order to improve performance under value-based programs, MA payers lack specific motivation to collaborate with post-acute operators. As a result, MA plans have relied on cost management strategies, not direct collaboration, to control post-acute outcomes. Similarly, post-acute providers report limited plan interest, along with low volumes and reimbursements, as reasons for focusing on fee-for-service cases instead.

However, market dynamics are rapidly shifting. Changing demographics, along with projections that by 2030, 51% of Medicare beneficiaries will be covered by MA, suggests that post-acute operators and MA payers have a shared interest in collaborating with one another. Therefore, post-acute providers must develop a clear strategy to collaborate with MA payers for future growth.